.
A million dollar mausoleum. 
And another marble mausoleum
An enlightened Angle to watch over you while you sleep.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Recoleta Cemetary
A million dollar mausoleum. And another marble mausoleumAn enlightened Angle to watch over you while you sleep.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Bodegas in Cafayate.
Welcome to Cafayate (Calf-a-shót-e)
Vineyard in the Mountains
Town Square
The front door to one of the Bodegas
Aging like fine wine
In the early 2000´s Argentina went through an economic turmoil. Sound familiar? Due to the devaluation of the Argentinian Peso, products from Argentina became very cheap and foreigners bought many Argentinian goods, including wines. Since then the economy has recovered. However Argentinian wines are now popular throughout the world because they had become very affordable in the early 2000´s, although now they are not so cheap. See how good things can happen when the economy goes to shambles.
Cafayate is known for a wine called Torrontes. It is a sweet white and if you can find some buy it and drink it. It will keep you entertained until its gone. Here they have very little rainfall and low humidity so fungus is not able to grow on the vines. The lack of rain is supplemented by melted snow from the near bye Andés making it suitable for growing grapes. So rent a bicycle and go visit all the wineries around town. Most offer free tours and tastings. It might be wise to walk the bike home, but its more fun to ride it.
Aging like fine wineIn the early 2000´s Argentina went through an economic turmoil. Sound familiar? Due to the devaluation of the Argentinian Peso, products from Argentina became very cheap and foreigners bought many Argentinian goods, including wines. Since then the economy has recovered. However Argentinian wines are now popular throughout the world because they had become very affordable in the early 2000´s, although now they are not so cheap. See how good things can happen when the economy goes to shambles.
Cafayate is known for a wine called Torrontes. It is a sweet white and if you can find some buy it and drink it. It will keep you entertained until its gone. Here they have very little rainfall and low humidity so fungus is not able to grow on the vines. The lack of rain is supplemented by melted snow from the near bye Andés making it suitable for growing grapes. So rent a bicycle and go visit all the wineries around town. Most offer free tours and tastings. It might be wise to walk the bike home, but its more fun to ride it.
Los Simpsons
Dad and meEveryone here loves the Simpsons...I think that it is more popular here than in the States. However they have different voices and speak spanish.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Silver mines in Potosi, Bolivia
Potosi is a mining town in southern Bolivia. The Silver mines here once bankrolled a majority of the spanish empire. However the mines now only have little silver and lead. When the mines run out they think the towm will collapse. Potosi claims itself to be the highest city in the world at 4000+ meters. It used to be one of the richest in the world at its height of mining and rivaled cities of Paris and London in its population and wealth.
AFTER:
BANG
Tio or Uncle. The devil is the god of the underworld and hence the god of the mines. The miners worship him because they are in his house and anything that they recieve is an offering from him. They sacrifice llamas to Tio. The theory is that the more llama blood they give the less human blood he will take. But only 30 miners a year lose their blood to Tio.
Ride a half ton of ore.
BEFORE:
A bag of TNT. And the fuse is lit,
look close you can see the smoke.
Dont worry, it has a one minute fuse.
Ohh yeah you can buy it on
the street for two dollars.
A bag of TNT. And the fuse is lit,
look close you can see the smoke.
Dont worry, it has a one minute fuse.
Ohh yeah you can buy it on
the street for two dollars.
AFTER:
BANG
Tio or Uncle. The devil is the god of the underworld and hence the god of the mines. The miners worship him because they are in his house and anything that they recieve is an offering from him. They sacrifice llamas to Tio. The theory is that the more llama blood they give the less human blood he will take. But only 30 miners a year lose their blood to Tio.
Ride a half ton of ore.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Altiplano, Bolivia
The first of the three days was spent driving over an evaporated salt water lake where a meter of salt remained on the bed. Workers piled waste high mounds of salt in order to let the water run out of them, making transport to the refinery esier. The glare was blinding. Little atmosphere was available to filter the untra voilet light. The snow white salt reflected the light right back. Not even clouds could form over this bright mirror. They were burned away in an instant. This scene was more remenecent of an arctic landscape than anything.
After two hours of driving of so an island appeared on the horizion. Only this island was not surrounded by water. Just a vast sea of salt. In the distance volcanic mountains glued the sky to the salt flat. Nearing the island high cactus´ came into view as they were the only vegetation which adapted to survive here. A sign at the base of the oldest cactus informed visitors that it was over 1200 years old and over ten meters high.
That night was spent in a remote village where it seemed llammas outnumbered people tenfold. It is probably true. A 500 meter walk from the hotel brought you to a ancient Andean bureal sight. The Necropolis contained over one hundred tombs. Composed of Soft Volcanic rock the circular tombs were about six feet high with a six foot diameter. Openenings in the walls revelaed skulls and other bones along with pottery and tools.
The following morning was spent driving past multicolored mountains. They were said to contain seven different tones. The landscape looked like it came out of a mario brothers video game with fluffy clouds frozenin the blue air above the peaks. Soon a rock formation that resembled a jaguar siloette was discovered and we all took pictures getting eaten by it.
Moving on to the salty lagoons that dotted the land. Here hundreds of flamingoes feed in the shallow waters. An abundance of minerals gave each lagoon a slightly different green-blue tinge.
For the night we settled next to the largest of the lagoons. The only reason a hotel existed there was for tourists. There was not even a town. Just a few hotels. The darkness of the night revealed millions of stars. It seemed as thought there was no room for the black night sky under the abundance of stars. Not an artificail light was to be seen at midnight.
The following morning we arrived at a man made gyser which shot steam up thirsty feet in the air. Soon after we were at a mud bath where boiling hot mud bubbled up in the foggy morning. The third day of the trip basically consisted of driving back to where we started. At lunch the town had a old crashed plane perched up on the rocks. Some girls I spoke to said they went to it and there was skeletons inside. Back at the base town we visited a train graveyard. Two massive old faishoned trains lay dead on sunken tracks. It is now up to the elements to rust the massive iron skeletons away to nothingness.
The following morning we arrived at a man made gyser which shot steam up thirsty feet in the air. Soon after we were at a mud bath where boiling hot mud bubbled up in the foggy morning. The third day of the trip basically consisted of driving back to where we started. At lunch the town had a old crashed plane perched up on the rocks. Some girls I spoke to said they went to it and there was skeletons inside. Back at the base town we visited a train graveyard. Two massive old faishoned trains lay dead on sunken tracks. It is now up to the elements to rust the massive iron skeletons away to nothingness.
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